Reading One 2014

     I really appreciated both of these readings. They were comfortable and interesting to wrap my head around and definitely seemed to be good for discussion. In the Towards a Standard of Beauty, I was really interested in what the author was saying about beauty and beholding as a focus and natural determination and the result of this in society and how it should carry us in life. It does seem peaceful to think and believe that aspiration helps society to he held onto by the embrace of what is promised in the future, when such an intentionality occurs. "I wish that everyone would realize that until recently beauty in things was commonplace and that it is our responsibility to demand that of the future." I've never heard it but quite like this, pretty powerful statement. Another point that the author made that really hit me was when they were talking about craftsmen and individual artists and the importance of pondering or learning from and respecting artwork. The author was expressing that an artists work is poor when they are dismissive and arrogant, she says that craftsmen stay away from this by loving and respecting folkcraft. It was interesting to hear about the eyes an artist/craftsmen should have.
     In the Art Vs. Craft article it was interesting to think about how we have approached achievements historically in the art world and in general. We are always after new frontiers or progress it seems. It's interesting to think that at one time machines, or industrialization was a new, promising frontier (which is still true just in different or more advanced ways maybe) as the handmade became less of a focus. And now I kind of feel like the handmade and the connection and experience there is a new new frontier. We are approaching it a diving into it from a different angle. Without the handmade first we never would have found the power of machines. I think that there is a beauty that can be and had been found in the connection and use if the machine and the handmade together, one enhancing the other. It is true that one may threaten or jeopardize the other at times or in certain ways but this may be because both are full of endless possibilities and so much potential can clash or harmonize.

-Dehmie